In this post, Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, describes the employment opportunities discussed at the Sturtevant forum held at the Gateway Technical College’s Sturtevant campus. Participants discussed the importance of retaining Wisconsin’s new college graduates in the state by offering a wide range of employment opportunities. They stressed the importance of learning the lessons from the success of the South Carolina BMW assembly plant as both Volvo and Foxconn move forward with their local expansion plans.

The opportunities for lucrative growth sound very attractive. Tom Still concluded that the theme of the upbeat meeting could be described as, “Wisconsin First.”

Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council writes: “The startling rise of social media in less than 15 years has changed how people live, work and play – largely for the better, but also in ways that have corrosive effects.” He notes, that those changes “will remake how we get our food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, entertainment and more.” In the meantime, “…it’s time for Big Tech to affirm that trust by making smart choices about how to better protect its users.” Read Still’s new column on the next page.

Paul A. Jones, writing for Michael Best’s Best Venture has some advice on whether to take your startup to Silicon Valley in search of venture capital.

While on one hand, Silicon Valley might be the fastest way to determine whether your startup is “venture-worthy” by Valley standards, he sees many more appropriate venture opportunities elsewhere, depending on the type of startup you are launching.

He writes: “Over the last couple of days, it gelled that some entrepreneurs might fail to raise capital in Silicon Valley – not because their startup is not worthy of investment, but because they are not ready to play on that particular stage. In which case, going to Silicon Valley may result in failing to get a startup financed not because it was a bad idea, but because venture capital’s Broadway was not where it should have started out.”

What do employers expect from college graduates they hire? Do they want an emphasis on STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and math – or a liberal arts background that may be more adaptable?

In this new article, the president of the Wisconsin Technology Council discusses some of the employment trade-offs, plans for curriculum changes at UW-Madison and LifeMapping, a soon-to-be incorporated company tied to the UW-Madison Department of Geography to help students explore their options.

Wisconsin’s internet connections, from its most rural settings to under-served neighborhoods in its largest cities, may benefit from a diverse range of broadband technologies, soon to make their way to the Wisconsin Legislature.

In a new article, Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, describes two examples of technologies getting attention in Wisconsin and elsewhere because of their potential for improved connections.

The energy marketplace has embraced renewable energy production as part of a balanced portfolio.

As Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council writes:
“Despite President Trump’s oft-repeated affinity for coal and a recent spike in U.S. production, energy experts don’t expect a long-term surge in coal production for power plants. There are two main reasons: More natural gas plants are coming on line and renewable sources, mainly wind, are filling the energy gap in many parts of the country.”

Tom Still, writing for Inside Wisconsin, gives us a glimpse at how hospitals, medical professionals, insurers, entrepreneurs and others are actively developing better, more efficient ways to care for patients, in spite of Congress.

Governor Scott Walker has designated October as Wisconsin’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Each week this October, ReadyWisconsin will provide information to help keep everyone in Wisconsin safe from cybercrime.